Abstract: In order to promote the better and faster development of the industrial chain of comprehensive utilization of tailings and prevent the recurrence of major accidents of tailings pond dam break 159 tailings pond accidents in China were counted，and the current situation and quantity trend of tailings pond were analyzed by mathematical statistics and literature investigation methods，and the dam break and its causes were studied.The results showed that the number of tailings ponds in our country decreased year by year，and the treatment effect of overhead storage，dangerous storage and disease storage was good. The main types of dam break accidents are tower，tunnel and other structural accidents，mine running and seepage accidents and flood accidents. Six prevention and control measures are put forward，that is paying attention to the preliminary exploration work，strengthening the safety inspection of flood discharge facilities inside and outside the reservoir，carrying out emergency drill regularly，the responsibility of the enterprise and the supervision department should be put into place，improving the tailings pond safety risk monitoring and early warning mechanism，improving the standards of tailings dam construction and pay attention to education.

Key words: tailings pond, statistical analysis, mathematical statistics